Lauren McGaughy

Hey, y'all! 👋 I am officially on the job at @nytimes.com covering all things Texas politics and policy. That means I now have an email! You can reach me at lauren.mcgaughy@nytimes.com or on Signal at lmcgaughy.40. Chat soon. #txlege

NEW INFO: We just got Angela Paxton's divorce petition. She accuses her husband Ken Paxton of adultery and noted the couple ceased living together in June 2024. More: www.kut.org/politics/202... #txlege

NEW: As part of my effort to track Elon Musk's influence in Texas, I asked for his emails with Gov. Greg Abbott for the last several months. Abbott's office rejected my request, saying the records are too "intimate and embarrassing" to release. www.kut.org/politics/202... #txlege

NEW: The judge overseeing Texas AG Ken Paxton's divorce case has put it under seal, meaning the public won't be able to access the record. We got all the documents filed before the case was sealed and have published them here: www.kut.org/politics/202... #txlege

NEW: UT Austin is removing its statue of Cesar Chavez months after The @nytimes.com revealed accusations of sexual abuse against the labor leader. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/u... #UT #txlege #txed #highered

ICYMI: The top election official in Texas just announced her retirement, which will take effect less than four months before the state’s most closely watched election in a decade. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/u... #TXLEGE

BREAKING: President Said to Be Backing Off Plans for $1.8 Billion Fund After Backlash. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/06...

Ken Paxton's last three fundraising texts reference James Talarico's standing in the polls and the Democrat's ability to bring in big cash donors. #txsen

Are Texans Ready for James Talarico’s Kind of Christianity? The @nytimes.com takes a close look at the faith tradition guiding the Democratic pick for U.S. Senate in Texas. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/u...

NEW: The @AP has called the race for Texas Railroad Commission, the states oil and gas regulatory body, for insurgent candidate Bo French. With his win, Texas Republicans have advanced a slate of anti-incumbent, hard line candidates. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/u...

Happy Election Day, Texas! 🤠🇺🇸 We’ll have a live blog of voting across the state today. Everyone has their eye on the U.S. Senate runoff but there’s lots of other important matchups. Catch all the updates here. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05... #txlege

Another $1M just dropped for Chip Roy in his bid for Texas Attorney General. It appears Alex Fairly, the same West Texas donor who gave him $2.75M a few days ago, is not done yet. More on Fairly's 11th-hour contribs here: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/u... #txlege

“None of us control what the president does,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who’d urged the president yo back John Cornyn, said. “He made his decision. That doesn’t change the way I feel.” www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/u...

ICYMI: Who Is Ken Paxton, Trump’s Pick in the Texas Senate Race? This story brought together 12 years of my reporting here in Texas with @michaelkruse.bsky.social’s on the ground insight and wonderful writing. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/u... via @nytimes.com